He lifted an earthen vessel from the ground. 'Put
your hand there and receive whatever food you desire.'
"As soon as I touched the broad, empty bowl, it became heaped
with hot butter-fried LUCHIS, curry, and rare sweetmeats. I helped
myself, observing that the vessel was ever-filled. At the end of my
meal I looked around for water. My guru pointed to the bowl before
me. Lo! the food had vanished; in its place was water, clear as
from a mountain stream.
"'Few mortals know that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of
mundane fulfillments,' Babaji observed. 'The divine realm extends
to the earthly, but the latter, being illusory, cannot include the
essence of reality.'
"'Beloved guru, last night you demonstrated for me the link of
beauty in heaven and earth!' I smiled at memories of the vanished
palace; surely no simple yogi had ever received initiation into the
august mysteries of Spirit amidst surroundings of more impressive
luxury! I gazed tranquilly at the stark contrast of the present
scene. The gaunt ground, the skyey roof, the caves offering primitive
shelter-all seemed a gracious natural setting for the seraphic
saints around me.
"I sat that afternoon on my blanket, hallowed by associations of
past-life realizations. My divine guru approached and passed his
hand over my head. I entered the NIRBIKALPA SAMADHI state, remaining
unbrokenly in its bliss for seven days. Crossing the successive
strata of self-knowledge, I penetrated the deathless realms of
reality.
Pages:
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422